By SCOTT GUTIERREZ, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Published 10:09 pm, Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Want to know where all the city's bike hazards are? There's a website where bicyclists warn others about where to be careful.

Bikewise.org is a database of crashes, road hazards and thefts reported by bicyclists. Since the website launched in 2009, it has accrued 1,800 reports, said Tessa Greegor, principal planner with Cascade Bicycle Club, which created it.

"Cascade is about bike safety," Greegor said. "This is a good collection of data to drive improvements on our road system by helping get the word out and letting people know what's out there and what to be aware of."

All reports are pinpointed on a Google map. Viewers can click on each report for more information, such as the location, date, description and the severity of the injuries, if there were any.

Accident reports include contributing factors and lessons learned, such as, "never assume the driver can see you."

Hazard reports -- like potholes, missing signs or railroad tracks -- are forwarded to agencies like the Seattle Department of Transportation.

It's been a deadly year for bicyclists, with three killed in the last few months in Seattle. In a recent report, seattlepi.com showed which intersections have had the most accidents, as reported to the Seattle Department of Transportation.

But city data are based on accident reports made to police, and not every crash is reported to authorities. A cyclist might strike a road hazard and not be injured seriously enough to call 911.

But he or she might take the time to fill out a report on Bikewise, which fills that gap, Greegor said.

The idea sprouted from emails that bicyclists would send to Cascade about dangerous locations, Greegor said. About 30 cities are registered to receive hazard reports. Crash reports aren't yet automatically forwarded to cities, but Cascade hopes to add that function in the future.

It now has iPhone app, which launched this year, and a widget so people can use the service through other sites, she said.

SDOT staff receive average about two referrals per month from Bikewise about bike hazards, which are investigated, SDOT spokesman Rick Sheridan said.

"It's always valuable to have additional information from the public, whether it's from SDOT's website or whether people submit concerns or complaints, or receive information from partners like Cascade that help us address these problems," he said.

Cities can click on a link to access the original Bikewise report and amend it to show when a pothole has been repaired or a new sign has been installed to improve safety.